Feb 22, 2019

Video sent by Bob Hensen / Nacra Sailing. Teaser flights from same photo session published past Monday. Looking good and looks stable enough, is clear it has a different inertia than say Nacra 17 on its weight. Bob assigns having more stability on being heavier, which is indeed an asset for target intended for the F18 Convertible Concept.

Of course we already asked Bob the due uncut takes, just to see how the platform flows around. But we don't need to see much to declare the F18 Convertible as a complete success in terms of concept proven. Then hours on the boat and fine tuning will improve any initial flights.

A process which is immensely more fun and rewarding that having automatic wand foiling system. Still the S9 or ifly are suited for those wanting to fly or demand less physical boat handling.

Feb 19, 2019

While the F18 Tanks are on their early stage for recreational fun, foiling beasts like the Nacra F20 FCS continue to deliver overwhelming speed and power. I sailed and helmed the F20 FCS here in BA , and at first glance the height is rather scary, you need to get use to it. The FP has a lower ride and smaller platform, the F20 feels massive beast, easily 3 can sail or foil on board any F20 FCS.

Flight is quite stable in mid winds and rather flat water, with more breeze and chop/waves you need a pretty active experienced crews.
Both sailors here come from the F18, and also have plenty hours on the F20. Excellent clip form late past Sunday from our friend Juan Faustín.

Riders: Juan Faustín & Cuco Benitez
Video Film & Edit Juan Faustín
Closing text Translation: "What you see is Not what you feel"

With one day to spare for the first SailGP event in Sydney, Emirates Team New Zealand is posting in their social networks like Twitter & Fb a teaser which will depict how they invented foiling for "Gran Prix Sailing" (sic) in clear reference to the SailGP F50 circuit.

While the freak and complex AC75 have shown to be fast and surely the final product will perform, we are still worried on the safety & handling stability of the concept. (TNZ top notch engineers wont be sleeping today on this comment..:)

From a start those hanging huge & ballasted T foils are a strange way to mimic the almost perfect righting moment available in multihull platforms. Straight line speed of the AC75 protos are looking fast and we hope they can solve the maneuverability and handling issues even seen in public AC team videos.

Still we don't get why the SailGP is making noise & waves to the next AC organizers, maybe their engineers have seen the F50s practice racing past days at Sydney?

In our view the SailGP cannot compete with the Americas Cup, monohull foiling tinkering included, so Team New Zealand should leave SailGP to their own game, only possible concern will be the F50s being far superior in performance to the AC75s around the course.
Until first AC75 we wont be able to fully compare both foiling platforms.

As quiet as it seems from all the America’s Cup teams, you can rest
assured there are plenty of innovative ideas being tested within design
offices around the world. Ideas that could be the next quantum leap
forward in technology on or off the water. This is the story of
one such idea, when at this stage of the campaign prior to the 2013
America’s Cup, we were just doing a little thing, like inventing foiling
in Grand Prix sailing. #Sailing#Foiling#AmericasCup"

Capize at 4.20 UTC, a morning in search of the wind and committed to dodging spots of the Sargasso. So began the sixth day of navigation for the Ocean Cat team. Then in the afternoon the wind rose allowing Tullio and Giammarco to resume a regular course for 270 ° at an average speed of 12 knots.

But let's go over the day. A night with a weak wind accompanied Tullio and Giammarco who tried to get the max out of the Cat.

Five days of sailing that saw them busy looking for speed to dodge expanses of the Sargasso along the route have certainly weighed this morning around 4.20 UTC (5.20 Italian), when Ocean Cat capsized about 1300 miles from the finish line .

The uprighting system, repeatedly tested in our seas, has worked perfectly even in the open ocean. Once verified that there were no damages, Tullio and Giammarco resumed their course. In the afternoon the wind strengthened. Ocean Cat managed to intercept it and is now pushing to always reach an average speed around 12/13 knots. According to the routier estimates there are still possibilities to reach Guadeloupe within 11 days 1 hour 9 minutes and 30 seconds: Tullio and Giammarco are going to really beat that record! Follow them on www.oceancat.it

No more details than the Title on the "combined fleets" staement, but word is teams from the Extreme Series will compete together with the GC32 Racing Tour ones. We've seen that already at the first GC32 Worlds held last year, but the "combined fleets" this time might be joining both circuits, or at least in selected events aside the 2019 Worlds.

More details when they announce the 2019 teams.

2019 Season preview sent below by the GC32 Racing Tour.
---------------------------------
---------------------------------Combined fleet to compete on GC32 Racing Tour in 2019
"The GC32 Class sets sail into 2019 with a circuit stronger than ever thanks to its teams consolidating on one circuit, the GC32 Racing Tour.

For its sixth season, the five event series for ultra-high performance one design catamarans will once